My Pocket-Sized Rebels

I am a lover of all things small and adorable. Baby penguins are my favorite animals, chibi art is (in my opinion) the cutest art, Tiny Kitchen is the most mesmerizing Instagram account I follow, Baby Yoda is the real reason I watch The Mandalorian...and I collect FunkoPOPs.

Okay, maybe “collect” is too mild a word. These chibi-style representations of my favorite fictional characters are truly the delight of my eyes!

Sif (of Thor fame) was the first Funko I ever bought all the way back in…oh, probably 2014? I’ve been adding to my collection ever since. The most expensive one I ever bought was my little Clara Oswald–but only because she was a collector’s item by the time I got into Doctor Who.

I bought my Rey and BB-8 as soon as I saw The Force Awakens, but then I got into Star Trek (as you can see from the left side of my desk). As a result, my Star Wars Funkos have been very outnumbered…UNTIL NOW.

A couple of weeks ago, while my sister Anna was at our local Barnes & Noble, she found their entire Funko selection on sale: two for $10! She quickly texted me, asking if I wanted a couple. I hadn’t bought any Funkos in a while–not since I found Doctor Who‘s Missy, AKA the only (former) villain I once swore I’d ever get in Funko form–but I don’t just pass up a deal like that! 

And lo and behold…Barnes & Noble had Poe Dameron and Finn in his First Order disguise.

LOOK. HOW. STINKIN’. CUTE. Poe’s 5 o’clock shadow! Finn’s determined little face! The teeny-tiny details!! 

BB-8 was so happy to see his daddy.

But then Rey had to make an announcement, because…the more I thought about it, the more I realized my Pocket-Sized Rebel Family still wasn’t quite complete. She had to inform them there’d be one more addition arriving soon–and she wrangled out of them a promise that they’d be very nice to this incoming friend.

They were, needless to say, a bit taken aback when he arrived.

Missy is sulking. She thought she was unique; she thought she was the only (former) villain who’d ever grace the Writing Nook!!! Poor Missy. She underestimated the power of the Bendemption (as did I).

In my defense, I had been muttering to myself earlier in the year about how the only way I’d get a Kylo Ren would be if 1) he was maskless, and 2) I could paint his red lightsaber blue. After all, it’s become apparent that Disney and Funko aren’t going to give me a Ben Solo figure outright. If I wanted him, I’d have to claim him for myself.

Did I hold my breath the entire time I did this? Pretty much. I’ve never painted a FunkoPOP before.

But Ben Solo is worth it.

IT TURNED OUT EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED! The whole figure just looks brighter. And while I’m not brave enough (and don’t have any flesh-colored paint, anyway) to repair the scar, I can argue that in a perfect world where Ben didn’t die, and where he and Rey would build their own lightsabers together, he’d totally include a cross-guard on his new blade. He is Anakin Skywalker’s nerdy grandson, after all. Most of what he does is purely for Drama and Aesthetic. The cross-guard will stay; it’ll just be blue now.

Rey, meanwhile, is a very, very happy girl: “Got my Falcon, got my boys…my work here is done!”

Poe, scoffing: “Uh, we are not her boys.”

Ben, firmly: “Yes, we are.”

Finn, cheerfully: “Yes, we are!”

BB-8: (*bloop beep!*)

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Just as a heads-up, dear readers, I will not be here next Monday. Got some adventures comin’ up that will prevent me from putting a post together, but I will be back on September 28! I have several excellent posts lined up all through October…so stay safe, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter (if you haven’t already), and have a great week!